“Mindfulness” is the English translation of the Pali word " sati " bare attention.

When you first become aware of something, there is a fleeting instant of pure awareness just before you conceptualize the thing, before you identify it. That is a state of awareness. Ordinarily, this state is short-lived. It is that flashing split second just as you focus your eyes on the thing, just as you focus your mind on the thing, just before you objectify it, clamp down on it mentally, and segregate it from the rest of existence. It takes place just before you start thinking about it—before your mind says, “Oh, it’s a dog.” That flowing, soft-focused moment of pure awareness is mindfulness. In that brief flashing mind-moment you experience a thing as an un-thing. You experience a softly flowing moment of pure experience that is inter locked with the rest of reality, not separate from it.

When this mindfulness is prolonged by using proper techniques, you find that this experience is profound, and it changes your entire view of the universe.

The Characteristics of Mindfulness

Mindfulness is mirror-thought. It reflects only what is presently hap pening and in exactly the way it is happening. There are no biases.

Mindfulness is nonjudgmental observation. It is that ability of the mind to observe without criticism. With this ability, one sees things without condemnation or judgment. One is surprised by nothing. One simply takes a balanced interest in things exactly as they are in their natural states.

Mindfulness is an impartial watchfulness. It does not take sides.

Mindfulness is nonconceptual awareness.

Mindfulness is present-time awareness. It takes place in the here and now. It is the observance of what is happening right now, in the present moment.

Mindfulness is non-egotistic alertness. It takes place without ref erence to self. With mindfulness one sees all phenomena without references to concepts like “me,” “my,” or “mine.”

Mindfulness is awareness of change. It is observing the passing flow of experience. It is watching things as they are changing. It is seeing the birth, growth, and maturity of all phenomena.

Mindfulness is participatory observation. The meditator is both participant and observer at one and the same time.

This word expresses a human attribute that is the most important one, in my opinion. (Although it needs to be accompanied by healthy self-esteem.) I think that if you have it, you probably have the best interests of humankind in your heart:

to ... affect ... guide ... or arouse by divine influence ...
to ... fill with enlivening or exaulting emotion ...
to ... stimulate to action ...
to ... affect or touch ...
to ... draw forth or bring about ...
to ... draw in air ... by inhaling ...
to ... breathe on ...
to ... breathe life into ...
to ... stimulate energies ... ideals or reverence ...

[1596, from L. genuinus "native, natural," from root of gignere "beget" (see genus), perhaps infl. in form by contrasting adulterinus "spurious." Alternative etymology is from L. genu "knee," from an ancient custom of a father acknowledging paternity of a newborn by placing it on his knee.]